Dell Latitude E5420: Our Deal of the Week

In our review, we called the 14-inch Dell Latitude E5420 an “essential business notebook with great battery life, a good keyboard and good performance.” The sale unit sports an Intel Core i3-2330M dual-core processor at 2.20GHz, 2GB DDR3 memory at 1333MHz, Intel HD graphics, and a 250GB hard drive at 5400rpm. You can upgrade the CPU to an Intel Core i5-2520M and the display to an HD+ 900p screen for only $140 more. The sale unit is currently going for $479, for $400 off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

The Latitude E5420 has what Dell calls the company’s Tri-Metal build. This means it has a sturdy design to help fight against drops, bumps and scratches. It has an anodized brushed aluminum display, reinforced steel hinges, and the chassis is built with magnesium alloy. It passed all of our durability tests with a breeze, and style-wise, the E5420 comes with matte surfaces and is colored soft black with silver accents. It appears professional and is smooth matte, meaning it won’t collect dust and finger prints very easily.

Another great feature that makes this notebook good for road warriors and business professionals is its long-lasting battery life. In our battery tests, the 9-cell 97Wh Lithium-ion battery lasted 9 hours and 20 minutes. The sale unit comes with a 6-cell Li-ion battery and will not last as long; it’s recommended to upgrade to the 9-cell if you’re away from a power outlet on a regular basis.

The keyboard is a mixture between traditional and Chiclet. The keys are flat, square, and raised a bit. There’s also some extra spacing to help with user experience and key travel. We found the keyboard to be comfortable and easy to use. It’s also spill-resistant and can be configured with backlighting so users can still see in dark-lit rooms.

Read our full review for more information, including display specifics, performance charts and benchmarks, temperature readings, and product photos.